" Rockville was unique in that it chose to replace it's downtown with a Mall"

The Rockville Mall was the major commercial redevelopment thrust of the Mid-City Project, but now many people have forgotten it and newer residents never knew that the Rockville Mall existed. It was promoted as a modern way to shop, with parking underground and open pedestrian plazas surrounding the enclosed mall. The expectation was that it would have two anchor stores and a variety of other shops and restaurants designed to appeal to residents and workers alike as a place to congregate. The reality was that one anchor store never opened and the second, Lansburgh’s, went bankrupt nationally and closed shortly after opening. Residents deemed the garage “creepy,” and the sometimes desolate mall closed in 1983.

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